“Science is a cooperative enterprise spanning the generations. It’s the passing of the torch from teacher to student to teacher. A community of minds reaching back to antiquity and forward to the stars.” -Neil deGrasse Tyson
What will the future look like if we don't teach the next generation to experience, to interpret, to discern, to collaborate, to create (AKA some of Tony Wagner's 21st Century Skills); what if we only taught dry facts from textbooks?
At one point in the history of education, the goal was just to teach facts in order to train laborers during the Industrial Age. In today's Digital Age, however, we are inundated with a plethora of information from all angles surrounding us. If we don't teach our students to think logically in a data-driven manner, then we cripple the next generation of leaders to handle the obstacles they will inevitably face as adults, especially the planetary, global challenges (more about these global challenges in future blog posts) . What will the future look like then?
Here are some of Jane's thoughts about the future of STEM education, especially in Arizona, but the wisdom in her words can be applied both nationally and internationally.
By Jane Jackson, Ph.D.
"Until 2011, we had Federal grants. They no longer exist. ASU courses are unaffordable for most teachers. We now serve HALF as many teachers, on 1/5 our previous budget ($50,000 per year, instead of $250,000). Due to low salaries and this insufficient funding, the shortage of Arizona physics teachers is worsening!
Arizona’s neglect of physics threatens the state’s future, because high school physics is the chief STEM pathway. You’ve heard the saying, 'For want of a nail, the shoe is lost, for want of a shoe, the horse is lost, for want of a horse, the rider is lost.' High school physics is the nail, the STEM economy is the horse, Arizonans are the rider. Arizona may soon become a third-tier state!
Most important, for my work at ASU, are to share my delight in understanding the world, and my deep concern for the well-being of young people and future generations on this fast-warming planet. We need a nation of thinkers. Modeling Instruction promotes thinking. ASU physics Modeling Instruction is crucial -- for the future of Arizona and humanity. That is most important now, for me!
Resources:
1) Modeling Instruction history, evidence of effectiveness, resources for teachers, MNS degree:
2) The worsening shortage of physics teachers in Arizona, and ways to alleviate it:
http://modeling.asu.edu. Scroll to the bottom, in the section called “Arizona Community”.
3) Two videos on Modeling Instruction: A Hands on Approach to Science and Math (6 min):
A Modeling Approach to Physics Instruction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENyziGXdsrs
4) The longer version of this story: http://modeling.asu.edu/AZ/Jane'sStory-Physics2016.pdf"
I hope you enjoyed, as much as I did, getting to know Dr. Jane Jackson through her own words. I also hope you were compelled, as I was, to DO something about preparing the next generation of mankind by, at the very least, supporting the strong professional development of their teachers. Please check out her reference links above if you want to research more about Modeling Instruction on your own so that you can be well-equipped to approach the leadership of your local schools and districts.
In upcoming blog posts, the question of why everyone, not just teachers, should care about educating our children, will be explored in greater detail.
Add your name to those who support Modeling Instruction (MI) by liking & subscribing to The STEM Secret blog here (there's a subscribe button at the top and the bottom of the page: https://www.thestemsecret.com) and by liking & following The STEM Secret FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/theSTEMSecret/?modal=admin_todo_tour).
If you are a Modeling teacher, share your story by sending it to the email listed. If you know a great Modeling teacher, encourage them to send their story to the email listed. cjones.stemprofessionals@gmail.com.
If you are Modeling teacher and want to interact with other Modeling teachers with a question, an issue, a classroom experience, an announcement, or anything other MI teachers might be interested in, post it on the M2M (Modeler to Modeler) blog on the AMTA site. https://modelinginstruction.org/submit-a-blog-entry-to-m2m/
Comments